


caught up in an overflow

by twosetmeridian



Series: twosetweek season 1 [4]
Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Competition, Friendship/Love, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violins, i love that the prior tag exists uwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 12:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21356353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twosetmeridian/pseuds/twosetmeridian
Summary: eddy's tired of getting beaten year after year after year by some hotshot prodigy who keeps playing the exact same pieceshedoes every year prior. what the hell is this guy's agenda?for twosetweek day 4; prompt: tradition + talent.
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Series: twosetweek season 1 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560604
Comments: 4
Kudos: 143





	caught up in an overflow

**Author's Note:**

> title from _lose it_ by oh wonder.
> 
> **[ crossposted from wattpad; published 10/23/2019 ] **

• • •

the first christmas they meet, they don't meet as competitors.

"eddy!" the boy raises his head, pivots to wave at the people clapping for him as he walks off the stage, having successfully performed a medley of popular christmas songs. his own creation, of course.

it might seem silly, but for eddy, the annual christmas talent show is important. it's the one time he can show off, be known amongst the other neighborhood kids for at least one day before he fades into the background again, labelled neatly as just another music nerd.

well. here, he can be loved, and so he tries his best to join and win every year.

eddy walks back into the crowd, chest warm with the spark of triumph, when he's suddenly stopped by another small body in his way.

"that was really cool," says the bespectacled kid before him, reaching his fingers out to shake eddy's hand. "my name's brett! what's yours?"

"i'm eddy," he replies, slightly confused by the other's sudden approach, but then brett points to the instrument he carries, and then it all makes sense.

"i'm a violinist too! i really like how you arranged those pieces." brett's smile is giddy and excited, and maybe eddy loses himself in that smile, just a little.

"maybe you can join in next year," comes tumbling out of his mouth before eddy can stop himself, but when he thinks on the matter, he actually does mean it. why not? the talent show could use some more variety of the classical musician kind.

the sight of that brilliant smile growing even more is just a bonus on the side.

• • •

the next christmas they meet, brett's won the talent show by a landslide.

if he's really being honest with himself, eddy would've been just fine with it. he can always try again next year, and the year after that if need be. but brett had won with a rendition of _eddy's_ own christmas medley from last year. he'd almost fallen out of his seat the second brett started playing.

at the back of his mind, eddy's impressed brett had memorized the piece by just hearing it that one time eddy had performed it an entire year ago, but really, all that's left at the forefront of his mind is simmering annoyance.

_is winning with that even possible?_

"you told me to join up, so i did," brett tells him, showing him the little golden trophy he'd won, and yes, he actually does have a point there.

"yeah, yeah, that's great," eddy responds, forcing a bright smile onto his lips. "i see you've played my medley from last year."

"oh, uh," a blush spreads across the other boy's cheeks, and eddy almost forgets his irritation at the sight of it. "sorry, i hope you don't mind. it was such a great piece so i had to, uh, play my own interpretation of it."

"oh, okay." he can feel his own eyebrows furrow at the words, but brett remains stubbornly cheerful, waving at him before he disappears into the crowd. "guess i'll just try again next christmas," eddy mumbles under his breath.

• • •

but then brett keeps on winning.

• • •

okay, so maybe eddy's tired of getting beaten year after year after year by some hotshot prodigy who keeps playing the exact same pieces _he_ does every year prior. what the hell is this guy's agenda?

never mind that he may have developed a sorta-little crush on said guy. that doesn't matter; he's resolute. all is fair in lo—or just war, he supposes, but _anyway_.

the point remains: brett yang has been winning for six years now. something must be done about it.

• • •

"okay, frankly, you're getting a little too old to care about something like that christmas talent show."

eddy stirs sugar into his coffee and pointedly ignores the amused look he knows belle is throwing in his direction. "i mean—probably, but it's still important. traditions! celebrations! family and friends! aren't those things people of all ages should care about?"

the giggle that bubbles up in belle's throat is not something eddy appreciates. "nah, all you really care about in that contest by this point is brett yang."

_straight to the heart of the matter._ eddy deliberates that his sister is a dangerous, dangerous woman. "i wanna win it. he's in the way. that's all."

"right." a moment of silence. thirty seconds of eddy avoiding belle's gaze. "if i didn't know better, i'd say he was trying to get your attention," his sister finally replies, "and he's got it."

eddy grumbles something unintelligible into his mug, and belle smiles.

• • •

this year's christmas talent show is apparently focused on giving back to the community: the winnings would proceed to a charity of the winner's choice, and lo and behold, by some strange twist of faith, brett and eddy's choice somehow coincides.

"hey eddy," brett smiles winsomely at him when they hear the news. "how about we team up?" eddy doesn't immediately answer, hesitant in his acceptance. the other man pouts. "please? for the orphanage?"

and then, perhaps the strangest thing of all: eddy doesn't quite know how to say no to those twinkle-star eyes. and so he finds himself agreeing, in the end.

brett can't be that bad of a partner, can he?

• • •

brett is an absolute _lunatic_.

"jingle bells and," eddy rereads the word just to make sure he hadn't read it wrong the first time, and yes, he really hadn't, "_paganini_?"

"yeah, it'll be fun." brett grins wide, looking over the sheet music in his hand. "fancy a challenge?"

now, _that_ is something eddy can't back down from. "as long as i get to play most of the paganini parts."

• • •

out of all the performances in the talent show, it is their duet that wins the hearts of the kids. eddy doesn't think he's ever seen children so happy to hear his music before.

after they finish, eddy spies brett playing with the orphans they've donated their winnings to, teaching them how to play the violin with a childlike spark in his gaze. it's then that he realizes just how brett's been winning all these years. it's not necessarily about his talent; there's a whole lot more _heart_ involved than even eddy himself can give away through his music.

maybe he's misjudged brett all this time. _god_, but it's an unpleasant idea to think about.

• • •

"you never really did tell me why you've been copying me in the talent show, all these years."

"ah," brett sighs, hands in his pockets as he gazes out into the yard, watching the children chase each other around as the crowd begins to disperse. eddy should be getting home to his family too, but he's still here. still beside this strange, talented prodigy, like he hasn't been wary of him for six years. "is that why you hate me?"

"i—" eddy stops, reconsiders. "no. no, i don't hate you."

the smile the other man gives him is beatific, overwhelmingly grateful. eddy almost drops his violin at the sight of it. "i'm glad. and, uh, i'm sorry. i guess i was just trying to get you to notice me, and then maybe we'd become friends, but i suppose my little stunts over the past years screwed that all up."

"_no_," eddy says again, this time more vehement. "don't—you didn't screw anything up. i was—i didn't think you were the kind of person i know you to be now. i'm sorry too."

brett nods once, and then buries his nose in the scarf around his neck, but not too quickly enough for eddy to miss the telltale reddish tint of his skin. "so, uh, do you—maybe wanna do this again next year?"

so many christmases have passed without him getting to know brett yang more. he is not about to let that opportunity pass him by again. "yeah," eddy says, his lips curling in a smile of excitement. "maybe i would."


End file.
